Silent dictation mask



April 15, 1958 H. A. SHERWOOD 7 2,831,070 I SILENT DICTATION MASK Filed Aug. 4. 1954 INVEN TOR. HENR Y H. SHERWOOD H TTORNEY United States Patent SILENT DKCTATION MASK Henry A. Sherwood, Woodbridge, Conn., assignor to The Soundscriber Corporation, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application August 4, 1954, Serial No. 447,724

1 Claim. (Cl. 179-188) This invention relates to phonographic dictation recording, and more particularly to a silent mask for detachable connection to a hand microphone for producing secrecy for the dictator and preventing the recording of extraneous noises.

One object of the present invention is to provide a silent dictation mask of the above nature having means for detachably securing it to a hand microphone or telephone receiver.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, hygienic, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawing one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 represents a side view in elevation of the improved silent dictation mask as it appears when attached to a hand microphone.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken along the broken line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken along the broken line 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral indicates an elongated hand microphone having a manually depressible side switch 11.

The silent dictation mask of the present invention comprises a rigid, hollow cup-shaped body 12, substantially conical in shape, and having a horizontal bottom section 13, within which is an oval aperture 26 as hereinafter described.

The body 12 is provided with an aperturcd vertical rear base section 13a against which asoft foam rubber ring 17 is cemented. The body member is provided on its opposite sides with a pair of headed studs 14 and 15 which are adapted to be detachably secured to a pair of end eye plates 19 and 20 of an elastic adjustable strap 18. The eye plates 19 and 20 are provided with keyhole openings 21, and narrow end cross slots 22, within which the strap 18 is adapted to be passed.

The ends of the strap are connected together by an adjusting buckle 23the free end of the strap being indicated by the numeral 24.

Provision is also made on the interior of the rigid cup shaped body 12 of a lining of soft material, such as rubber ice or felt, which serves to dampen the sound passing through said mask. An air valve flap 27 of oval shape is secured by a pair of rivets 28 adjacent the aperture 26, to the bottom section 13 of the body 12.

In order to fit the body 1.2 to the face F of the user, provision is made of a flexible rubber diverging face piece 29, having a flared irregular edge 30, for engaging with the users face F. (See Fig. 1.)

The flared edge 30 is provided at its upper end with an outwardly extending nose section 31. The edge 30 is also connected by a reduced neck 34 to an outwardly offset inner flange 32 which engages over the rim of the body 12 and is secured thereto by a snap fastener 16. The flange 32 is connected by an intermediate section 33 to the neck 34.

Operation In operation, whenever a person dictates into the mask which is fitted to his face as shown in Fig. 1, the flap 27 will close the aperture 26, and the air will be expelled around the microphone. When the dictator inhales, the flap 27 will open and permit the air to pass into the body of the mask.

One advantage of the present invention is that the silent dictation mask, being made of inexpensive material, will be expendable, and each person dictating may have his own hygienic personalized mask.

While there has been disclosed in this specification, one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other equivalent forms, without departing from its spirit.

In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

In a silent dictation mask for a hand microphone disposed within a case having a sound inlet opening at the front, a surface surrounding said inlet, and a back, a conical rigid cup-shaped body having a yieldable facial fitted opening at its larger end and a sound outlet at its smaller end, and an aperture on its body wall covered by an interior-operating valve flap, a sponge rubber ring secured around the edge of said sound outlet to detachably and yieldably engage with and conform to said surface surrounding said sound inlet in said case, and a flexible strap for securing said mask detachably to said hand microphone, said strap being disposed around the back of said case to hold said sponge rubber ring against said surface and secured to said body member by engagement r of slots at its ends with two headed studs on said body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,368,261 Jenkins Feb. 15, 1921 1,382,865 Soderling June 28, 1921 1,508,310 Van Houte Sept. 9, 1924 1,666,220 Schultz Apr. 17, 1928 2,485,278 Gilman et a1 Oct. 18, 1949 2,627,932 Volkmann et al. Feb. 10, 1953 

